Fallen
by MomentousNote
Summary: 4 months after her "parent's" death, Gwen is the same as ever: a mischievous troublemaker with a dark side and odd supernatural powers that no one knows about. Beginning her junior year at Mystic Falls High, 2 things have changed her life forever. 1) the arrival of Damon Salvatore. 2) the Powers that seem to get stronger 24/7. Damon/OC.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my character(s). If only I owned the show... **

**Hello there! **

**So here goes nothing. *Hides face* **

**This is a Damon X OC. The OC is a 16 (almost 17) year old named Gwen who grew up in the Gilbert house as a foster child. Yep, they never officially adopted her. This isn't going to be one of those fics that has Elena have an official sister. In fact, in this fic they struggle to get along in general. **

**I'm not gonna explain anymore 'cuz I'm feeling awkward and scared of rejection. **

**This is the prologue and pretty short. Don't worry, the regular chapters are WAY longer. Chapter 1 is almost 10,000 words and chapter 2 is already longer than that. I like writing okay? No judging! **

**So umm... Review, follow, favourite. If you want to! PM me if it suits your fancy. ;) **

**Bye! **

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**Prologue**

**5 Months Ago**

_Elena sat in the back seat of the family SUV while mum (Miranda Gilbert) was in the passenger seat and dad (Greyson Gilbert) drove. They were quiet, Elena contemplating with her arms crossed while mum and dad exchanged knowing looks. She'd gotten in a fight with her boyfriend- Matt. They were long-time friends, attempting to be something more. In other words, Elena was miserable. Matt knew what he wanted in life; he had it all planned out, she didn't. That was what their fight was about. Life. That was why she'd called her parents to leave the back-to-school party early. Now they were on the way home. _

_ Passing over Wickery Bridge, dad suddenly lost control of the car. It went over the railing without a second thought, instantly beginning to submerge beneath the torrential water. _

_ From the back seat, Elena screamed, instinctively trying to open her car door. Mum and dad were trying their doors too. But it was no use. The doors wouldn't budge. Dad was the first to give up. He put his hand in mum's, and she looked at him with resignation. Turning around, dad laid his other hand on Elena's. She was frantic, fighting for breath as the water raised to her chin. Her frantic eyes searched dad's and he sent her a sad, small smile. This caused Elena to stop all motions. She gripped his hand tighter, reaching out for mom's as the water rushed over all of their heads. After a few moments, Elena mouthed 'I love you' to dad. _

_ Her hair floated around her. Mum had already passed out. Give or take a couple of seconds, mum would be officially dead in 8 minutes. _

_ Dad's clock was ticking. Elena's clock was ticking. _

_ Now they waited. For death. _

_ Elena's grasp on dad's hand loosened, the last of her oxygen bubbling out. Had it not been for her seatbelt, her body would have floated up to the roof of the car. Dad rotated his body forward. He waited for death, ready to welcome it like an old friend. _

_ The water suddenly became disturbed by a new addition. A male with leaf green eyes and spiked light brown hair. His eyes were wide with fear for the family inside the car. He looked to dad, who was still breathing, and began to tug open the car door. Almost angrily, dad furiously shook his head, pointing to the back seat- to Elena. _

_ The male followed his finger and jerked open the back SUV door. Tediously, he got Elena out and brought her to the surface. After making sure she was alive, he called 911, and dived back into the water, trying to save dad._

* * *

Doooo weee doooo

* * *

I shot up in bed, sweat like water dripping from me. My black covers were thrown on the floor. It figured that I would have freaky dreams whenever I managed to achieve sleep. It always happened. It was that or insomnia. I wasn't sure which I preferred more. For the past week, I'd been having the same dream every night. A car crash involving my sister and parents. The first day I had the dream, it felt like a dream, but each night, it became more realistic, more vivid. Tonight, it hadn't felt like a dream at all. It felt as if I were living it.

Something that happened all too often in my sleep, I had something that wasn't a dream. The car crash dream was too realistic- it was like a vision.

Right now, dread filled my stomach. In the distance- kilometers and kilometers away- I could hear the sirens. The dream was no longer simply a nightmare. It was real.

The nightmare had actually happened.


	2. A Victim and a Killer

**Disclaimer: Refer your face to the Prologue. It's too heart-breaking to type it again.**

**Yeah hi. This is Chapter 1. There's one episode per 2 chapters. It was gonna be 1 episode per chapter but after finishing the Pilot chapter, it was almost 20,000 words so I just split it in half. So sue me, writing is the height of enjoyment. **

**Hope you like it!**

**Review, follow, favourite! Even PM me if you want to.**

**Read on Padawans.**

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**Chapter One**

**A Victim and a Killer**

No one knew I remembered. They didn't know I remembered what it was like before. They didn't know I remembered the screams or the scolding water or the scorching heat. They didn't know I remembered the screamed words, the bruising blows, the broken bones, the excruciating pain.

They didn't know I remembered what it was like before I came to live with them.

And why should they think I did, when it happened until I was 5?

But I did and they didn't know.

And they didn't need to know.

They never needed to be alerted of that truth.

* * *

Doooo weee doooo

* * *

_Sobbing. _

_ Desperate pleas came from the abandoned building. The outside appeared to be in shambles, unstable to even think of entering. The old words that read _Insane Asylum _were nearly unreadable. _

_ It was a fitting name. Considering what took place in there when no one was awake. _

_ Though those who were taken inside weren't necessarily insane to begin with. _

_ Loud screams swam in the air like a gruesome melody. _

_A woman with red hair already lied dead on the floor. Her eyes that were once a lively green were now glassy, emotionless. Dead. Whip lashes covered her back, some wrapping around her stomach like tendrils. Her arm was bent beneath her while the other was splayed carelessly to the side. Deep, red slits wrapped around her wrists and ankles, the results of tight ropes. A gash ran the span of her forehead. Blood had ceased to purge from that injury long ago, now just a dried, red rust stain on half of her face. Though dead, her body continued to have muscle spasms, a side effect from the volts of electricity that finished her off._

_The woman wouldn't be the only victim tonight. _

_There was a man. A man with sandy brown hair. Tears spilled from his light brown eyes- sorrow for the red haired female. Or for the brutality he suffered._

_The same rope burns covered his wrists and ankles. Whip lashes scared his back. One of his legs was broken, but he no longer felt the pain. In fact he could barely feel pain. His body had turned numb. In all accounts, he looked better than the other victim. Most of his torture had been inflicted on his mind, not the body. But he was still dying from bodily injuries. The knife that had gutted his stomach would be finishing him off. _

_It wouldn't be long now. They- the torturers- had left him to die. All he had to do was wait._

* * *

Doooo weee doooo

* * *

_The same sandy haired male with light brown eyes faced a computer screen, his brow creased. He was intensely enveloped in whatever he was researching._

_He was in his apartment, sitting at the desk in the living room. The place wasn't much, looking as if he'd just move in. Boxes were stacked atop one another and shoved into corners. The walls were all white. Apart from his bedroom and part of the kitchen, the desk was the only other thing set up. Honestly, it didn't look all that bad this way. _

_This male had died. He shouldn't be alive. He didn't even remember dying. Didn't remember that life. Now, this was his life. He was new to the mysterious, small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. It was nice here. He liked it here, though his intentions for choosing this specific town weren't known to him. He felt like he had to be here. _

_But. He shouldn't even be alive. _

* * *

Doooo weee doooo

* * *

The covers were constricting my breathing when I awoke with a start. I attempted to shoot upwards, but the black covers cocooned me, rendering me useless. Carefully, I detangled myself- a slow, but helpful process.

_Stupid vision things, _I scorned. As usual, I was left feeling deprived of sleep. It wouldn't last long though. The sensation never did. In fact, once I got over this part, I found that I didn't actually need sleep. Not normal, I know, but very true. My body and brain didn't need sleep to function pristinely. I functioned better than humans.

Implying that I wasn't human, a theory I am not keenly sure of.

I mean, humans didn't have visions did they? Because my 'sister' sure as heck didn't know that 'our' parents would get into a car crash and die. She didn't know that someone saved her. Everyone thought it was a miracle that she survived, but I knew the truth. Someone saved her, got her out before she could die. Only I knew that. I couldn't exactly tell my 'siblings' that I'd had nightmares a week leading up to the accident. That was crazy. Insane.

They weren't even my actual siblings. I was adopted. There wasn't the faintest resemblance between me and Elena and Jeremy Gilbert. As far as I was concerned, I had stolen _their_ parents surname and attached it to my name- Gwen 'Gilbert'. I was living in their house on loan. To my extent, I could never truly call them mum, dad, sister, brother. I did, but it was not done heartily nor earnestly and I certainly didn't think of them in that way. Or, really, in any way except as not acquaintances nor friends. People just in the gray between.

I simply did not mean what I said. My fault, my bad. I had a bad background of shutting them all out and being terrible to a fault, living with these people who supposedly cared for me.

Let it be known that I am an orphan living in a 'foster home'. I am Gwen 'Gilbert'. I live with people I don't particularly fancy. I am a massive troublemaker with a taste for darkness. I may or may not have a wee (truthfully verging on bad) case of depression. I am a skilled con. My crimes go unsolved. I stir up mischief wherever go. I'm a semi bad person, but I have redeeming qualities. I have morals- humanity. Not every fiber in my being is horrible. Just… sometimes I didn't care. Didn't care about others getting hurt or didn't care about what happened. Didn't care in general.

I'm good okay?

… Insane. Those people in my dream/vision got killed in an abandoned asylum. I could _sense_ that it had happened nearly 17 years ago. I would be 17 in just over 2 months. Coincidence. Pure coincidence.

_There's no such thing as coincidences, _my mind nagged.

_Shut up, _I shot back. _It's not like they were my parents or anything. They were too young. They didn't look anything like me. Even if they were, my dad wouldn't know me. That male didn't even remember being tortured and dying. _

I dreamt about random things and people I didn't know about all the time, so why did this feel different?

Acknowledging that I would think more about it later (ha-ha, I'm lying to myself), I slipped out of bed. I didn't have to bother with being quiet as I never made a noise in the first place. Since I was born, I moved soundlessly and gracefully. It wasn't possible, yet it (apparently) wasn't impossible either. Does that make sense once so ever? I just didn't make sound in movements unless I wanted to. Leaves didn't even crunch under my feet.

That's not supposed to be possible, is it? Didn't think so.

Sighing, I slid into my usual attire- black boots, a pair of vibrant coloured (currently red) jeans, some gothic t-shirt, and a black jacket. I would rather have a leather jacket, but it wasn't in my luck. No one had one for me to steal- I mean borrow.

Hehe… I'm still a good person. Decent at least? At least give me decent.

I squatted and reached underneath my bed, pulling out a bottle of bourbon, which reminded that I was almost out and would have to get more. I'd probably end up drinking the whole bottle. I could be called an alcoholic, but I never actually got drunk. Never in my life had I passed into the land of the drunk. Drinking didn't even dull my senses. Or ruin my teeth. Or brain. Or body. I'm immune to alcohol. More than once I was tempted to see if the normal rules of drinking (the part where alcohol lowered your body temperature) applied to me.

Without a sound, I opened the window of my second floor bedroom, climbing onto the rooftop. Knees bent, I traveled to the edge of the roof, and jumped off, flipping a couple of times before landing softly on the ground. This ability was excused by years of athletics, extreme agility, and gymnastic courses that I had never taken (I'm just referring to the gymnastics. I do a lot of athletics and trampoline activity though).

I'm just special like that.

The wind picked up, blowing my streaked, naturally pure white hair around dramatically. Tilting my head up, I grinned at the sky. Dark, but I could see the swirling mass of clouds. If only it would rain. I loved thunderstorms.

If I focused hard enough, I could make rain pour, thunder crack, lightning strike the sky.

I'm a bundle of unsolved powers. And unsolved emotions. (Shhh, it's a secret.)

With a kick, I headed in the direction of the woods. They were my place. I had my secret hiding places there, where only those closest to me could find me. Which meant that no one could find me when I didn't want to be found. Because no one was close to me. (I kind of hated myself and made everyone hate me by being as crude as possible. Yeah, that's not the whole truth either.) And I had a knack for hiding in plain sight. People didn't notice me when I didn't want to be noticed.

Invisible and observant. Not the story of my life, but part of it.

There are 5 other things to know about me:

1: My hearing was superb. Better than human- supernatural. I could hear for kilometers on end. My sense of smell wasn't that better. And I could feel everything- even the tiniest sensations.

2: My eyesight was far better than 20/20. Just like hearing, I could see for kilometers.

3: Apparently I can run as fast as light and am unnaturally agile.

4: I have a British accent. Under normal circumstances, this wasn't odd. Except I was raised in America, never setting foot in Britain. Nor did I have any English friends. No one around me had a British accent. In that lied the main flaw. My accent was unnatural and shouldn't exist.

5: The moment I become in danger of feeling anything negative (sadness, regret, remorse, etc.), my emotions- so to speak- shut off. I don't feel anything and my emotions come back when all such talk disappears and I'm happy again. (This has its perks.)

Boo-hoo, I'm such a freak.

I uncorked my bourbon and took a drink, enjoying the scorching trail it left in its wake on the way to my throat. It awoke my senses, made me sharper.

The 'Gilbert' family name had been ruined the moment they'd taken me in. They were no longer a perfect Founding Family. In my 16 (almost 17) years, I'd managed to cause mischief at every Founding Family Party. So much so that Mrs. Lockwood attempted to kick me out, ban me from every event. She found maggots in her food that night. I didn't put them there, though she doesn't believe me. They just appeared in her 3 course dinner. Needless to say, her plans to kick me out vanished in the wind.

Then there was the incident with Mrs. Lockwood becoming the popular spot for birds to do their business… And that other time with the Lockwood House windows all being smashed in. It was really windy that day. I'd never forget the garden episode (at said house). Still sniggered whenever I thought about that. The only moment I never laughed about was something that had happened when I was 7. It involved Tyler Lockwood, Mrs. Lockwood's son. That was something I was never speaking about.

Note that I did not cause any of these. At least, I don't think I did. They just happened around the times that I focused on causing mayhem on a certain target.

Maybe I did cause Mrs. Lockwood's troubles.

In that case, she had good reason not to like me- though I was nothing but pleasant to her. I was pleasant to everyone. _Totally._

Mrs. Lockwood wasn't the only one caught in a series of unfortunate events. Except for a select few, almost everyone in town who's met me has found themselves in a sticky situation. When we were little, Elena and I got into a fight over something incredibly stupid. An hour later, Elena 'tripped' down the stairs as if someone had pushed her and broke her wrist. I wasn't even in the house at the time. It's not like I hurt people on purpose. (Okay, so I did when I wanted to. It happened when the cruelness in my head got too loud. Not talking anymore about that.)

It might not even be me, but the Power circulating in my body tells me otherwise. I didn't know about it yet.

There were other instances too. The Event from When I was 7, as we liked to call it.

And then another incident that I yearned to forget, but never could, something far worse than what went down with Tyler.

A hospital call, a blur of yelled words, a strangled yelp after a scarring moment. I could remember everything as if it had happened yesterday.

_NO!_ I screamed internally. I wasn't remembering this. I couldn't, wouldn't. _It _was behind me. There was no use mulling over the past.

I didn't want to. I was the fun one, the cruel one, the nice one, the flawed one. Everything and anything except bloody sad and depressing. No one else except me had to know about my deep, inner turmoil. In Elena speak, my bottled up crap that ruined her life and everyone else's. The feelings that she pretended to understand when she had no real knowledge of my life. According to me, those feelings were a bad influence to everyone around me and they were the reason Jeremy had started smoking pot.

Elena acted like that was the worst thing in the world. I mean, Jeremy could be on heroin or meth or worse, dead. Smoking pot wasn't the foulest thing in the universe.

On the topic of family, I was the middle 'Gilbert' sibling. Elena was older than me by only 4 months. She was 17, I was 16 (almost 17), and Jeremy was 15 (almost 16). Sure I got along alright with Elena, but we definitely have our moments (very frequent moments). I was infinitely closer to Jeremy (and by close, I mean that I have never shut him out. He didn't give me a reason to). My relationship with their parents had been rocky. I never talked with them about personal things. Anything in general actually. It just seemed an odd thing to do.

Maybe that's why I didn't have any _real _friends. I wasn't ever what people wanted me to be.

_Crunch. _

Leaves crunched beneath someone's feet and I snapped out of my thoughts. Being out so long, I felt the shift in the air- _Sensed_ it. Someone was added to the count of bodies in the forest- not including animals. I could _sense _the male and he wasn't human. He was some sort of supernatural creature and he was moving unnaturally fast- the way I could run. If I were anyone else, I would've thought I was crazy, but I'd learned to trust _senses _and _feelings _long ago. He gave off a predatorily _feeling_. Of course, I wasn't running away. In all accounts, the new presence gave me a foreboding sense of anticipation and excitement. Extremely odd, yes. Yet amusing. Compelling.

For now, I would let the person be. Soon enough, I would be meeting this mystery man.

In just 3 hours (it was 4 am now), school would start and I would be a junior at Mystic Falls High. Last night, Jenna (mum's younger sister and now our legal guardian) made me promise to get a good night's sleep. Clearly, I'd already broken that promise without little thought. She also made me promise to try not to cause any trouble on the first day of school. It was a new year, she said, and I could remake myself. That plan failed the moment I started high school. There was no way I was changing my fun loving, troublemaker self. Besides, I didn't even like school, so why would I try to be good in it? My grades were perfect and classes were boring. It wasn't my fault that the teachers didn't get along with me.

Like mentioned before, I felt no remorse or regret. I didn't feel bad whenever I conned someone or when I lied. Regret and remorse weren't in my vocabulary. In my opinion, having negative emotions plaguing you was no way to live. They just held you back, slowed you down. (I didn't cry or feel anything except detachment at mum and dad's funeral.) Much easier to keep those away, never feeling them. No, I lived on a cloud of fun and mischief. After all, everyone said that I lived life to the fullest.

I guess I did. (Of course, this wasn't actually true because I had crap thoughts plaguing me every so often and those majorly damaged me, the whole reason I had my little motto about negative emotions. A really hard motto to follow. Truthfully, those pesky little negatives were allows floating about, taunting me. But what could I say? I was a pro at pushing those things deep inside.)

Abruptly, I decided to stop moving and settled myself against a large oak tree trunk near a stream, resting my not-tired body. (That was another one of my quirks: my body and mind nearly never tired. I couldn't remember the last time that had happened.)

Tuning my ears, I carefully listened past the noise of insect life- to the light footfalls of mystery man. Even with my supernatural hearing- something I've had since I was born- I could sparsely hear the treading sounds. He was getting closer- a yard away. We'd be meeting soon.

3… (Wondering how it was 5 am.)

2… (Briefly mulling over the visions that I had. Well, trying to. Nasty opinions of myself had sprung to mind.)

1… (Oh, there he is, breaking through the tree line.)

The male stood before me, a smirk on his face. I smirked back at him. He was handsome, beyond handsome- beautiful. Because I was me, I was able to control my heartbeat. (Otherwise it would be erratically beating from my basic attraction to him.)

Without giving anything away, I gave him the once over, knowing that he was used to being gawked at. I wouldn't be giving him that satisfaction, nor boosting his ego. (He's got pure black hair, gorgeous bright blue eyes, amazing body and face. Slightly tanned skin.) After I was done, I leaned back against the tree, watching him with narrowed eyes. Watched him check me out. (I've got a really pale skin complexion, pure white hair that- at the moment- has icy blue streaks, and bright purple eyes. I'm tall- 5'7- a slender body, and I was used to being checked out. It was sort of annoying, considering my opinion that I was ugly. I didn't see how anyone could find me attractive. I was just me. Pathetic me, not that others would agree.)

As he inched closer, I decided to break the tense (what kind of tense, I don't know) silence by announcing, "I can see it now: Poor 15 Year Old Girl Found Dead in the Woods, Murdered by Mysterious Killer." I splayed my arms out dramatically.

Mystery man silently sat down next to me, our shoulders touching. Electricity shot through me, firing up my veins. I took another swig from my bourbon. Looking at me sideways, he stated, "Nice accent." Nice accent? Seriously? That's all I get?

I rolled my eyes. "Doesn't suit your fancy?" I slipped into an American accent, "How about this? Oh wait, I don't care." The bourbon was at my lips again, sculling my throat, warming my stomach, sharpening my mind. Lowering my body temperature…

He squinted at my bottle. "Is that bourbon? Aren't you a little young for that?"

I gave him a flat stare and took an extra-long drink. "Almost 17. Aren't you supposed to mind your own business?" I refuted.

His eyes lit up in amusement. "How'd you get it?" He wants my bourbon. No.

"Why would I tell you? You're going to steal all my bourbon! I know you want it," I said, half joking, half serious.

"That I do. It is my favourite, after all," he made a grab for the bottle. I pulled it to my lips, downing some more. Ridiculously hot guy caught my eyes with his. "You should give me the bottle." His pupils were doing this weird dilating thing.

Annoyance pricked at me. That was rude. "Someone's an arse. I'm going to pretend you didn't say that so that we can go on enjoying this ungodly hour together." I took a deep breath.

"So. About the bourbon. That's a first. Everyone here prefers beer. So boring. Or whiskey. This is way better than whiskey," I stated. (Still not drunk.) "I only give my drink to people I know the names of." Taking another drink.

He was staring at me with shell shocked eyes, as if I'd done something incredible and impossible.

This weirdo.

"Damon Salvatore." Nice name. I passed him the bottle.

That name… That name… There were the Salvatore brothers in 1864: Damon Salvatore (the oldest and more gorgeous in my opinion) and Stefan Salvatore. For a split second, I zoned out.

_I was in front of the Salvatore Boarding House. A few meters away was Damon, staring at the old mansion. Deciding, he flitted into the forest at supernatural speeds, returning a moment later with blood dripping from his chin. Dark veins bulged around his blackened eyes and his fangs were extended. _

_ Vampire. _

I snapped back into reality with Damon passing the bottle back. Damon was a vampire, probably the same Damon Salvatore from 1864. That would make Stefan a vampire too. I bet they got turned into vampires by the same person.

That meant that odd eye thing was Damon's attempt at compelling me. All humans could be compelled.

Why hadn't it worked on me?

How did I even know this?

"You're back in town?" I wondered, sipping from the bottle, not able to help the tingle in my lips.

"Back in town? How'd you guess that?" Damon asked, his tone guarded. Well, he certainly didn't trust. Good reason not to. I didn't either. Hey, we had something in common. Great.

"I haven't seen you around. Not in town at all, giving me reason to believe that you just recently arrived," I paused to take another drink. "Then there's the way you were able to get around here in the woods. Foreigners wouldn't be able to. They'd probably be found at the bottom of some cliff with a broken neck," I snickered morbidly. The bottle goes back to Damon.

"Someone's exceptionally observant." Damon teased. My observations never fail. "If you find out any of my other secrets, I might have to kill you." His smile came off as predatory and threatening. Sort of. I wasn't feeling that threatened.

I shrugged, gave a small smile, "I try my hardest. And try as hard as you might, but you won't be able to kill me." This guy's killed lots of people. Why wasn't I scared of him? _Because I'm me, _my mind answered. _And I got some death wish._ What kind of answer is that? He was probably plotting to suck me dry and here I was, striking up casual conversation. That's Gwen 'Gilbert' for you.

Crumpets, I'd just discovered the existence of vampires and I wasn't having a total meltdown. It was amazing that I wasn't grabbing the nearest piece of wood. The truth of supernatural existence wasn't even that surprising.

Meh, I was too awesome for freaking out. Just wasn't my thing.

I glanced at him, met his gaze. "Why'd you come back? You don't seem the type to like small towns."

It was Damon's turn to shrug. "Unfinished business."

I feigned hurt, "So vague! Won't you tell me Damey?"

"Damey?" he questioned doubtfully.

I nodded confidently, "Give me a while and I'll come up with a better nickname."

"With one like _Damey_, I'm scared to see what else you'll come up with."

"You hurt me Damey!" I cried jokingly. Damon's shoulder got punched. Hard. (I think I saw him wince.)

Then I took notice of his black leather jacket again. "Can I have your jacket?" I blurted out. I did not just ask that. I think blood rushed to my cheeks. I wonder if Damon could hear it.

"No you can't have my jacket," Damon scoffed.

"Why not?" I pouted.

"Because it's mine," he pointed out. I glared at him. I lived in a cruel world!

I snatched up the bourbon at the speed of light. (Oops, that could be suspicious.) "Then you can't have any more of _my _bourbon." I took a large gulp, savouring the flavour. There was only a fourth of the bottle left. I should've brought more, but my stash is nearly liquidated. I held the bottle up. "You owe me a bottle of bourbon."

"Okay. But I can't give any to you unless I know your name," Damon negotiated teasingly.

"Why can't I have your jacket?" I abruptly pouted again.

Damon deadpanned, "It's covered in the blood of virgin sacrifices."

Laughter had me clutching my stomache. I had to give it to him, the psycho vampire was insanely hilarious.

After my laughter faded, I grinned, "Since I've decided that you're not here to brutally murder me, my name's Gwen."

"A: I still might use you as a virgin sacrifice. And B: I don't get a last name?" he looked disbelieving.

Well you are a vampire. "A: I highly doubt that because I'm too amazing to be used a sacrifice," I stated the facts, then winked, "and you never denied not planning to. Plus, we both know you thought about killing me. B: In my own opinion, I don't have a real last name. To everyone else, I'm Gwen 'Gilbert'."

"What does that mean?" Damon asked. Apparently, my A explanation was enough for him. And again he wasn't denying my claims to his mulling over my death.

"I was _adopted_ by the Gilbert family, but I'm certainly not _a part _of their family," I explained. "In both cases, the parents are dead."

"Dead."

"As a doornail," I agreed.

"I'm a member of the dead parents club also," Damon added.

"I would say I'm sorry, but words don't heal a scars," I stated without emotion.

"Suck it up and all that crap." A sidelong glance. "You don't seem like your parents died," he said. Arse.

"Well they did. My foster parents died a couple months ago and I think my birth parents died shortly after I was born," I paused. I could've been lying. My birth parents may or may not be dead, but that was easiest to think and to tell so I didn't get retarded pity looks about being abandoned. "I mean, what am I supposed to do? Waste my time crying over them? For the world to keep spinning and leave me behind? No, I'd much prefer to forget all about every _single_ negative emotion. I'm not going to end up stuck in the past." My voice was cold. Everything about me has become cold. (If it's not noticeable, part of these words have meaning for Damon.)

I could tell there was a weight of my words for Damon by the way he tensed up. "Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" Damon drily asked, giving nothing away.

I smirked, "Please, who needs sunshine? I'm the storm on a cloudy day."

"Ever the optimist," he noted.

"Something tells me that you relate," I sang, knocking back the rest of the bourbon. Damon stared at me. Feeling self-conscious, I spat, "What Damon?"

"How are you not drunk Gwen?" (I really liked the way he said my name. It just rolled off his tongue in a graceful manner.)

"A secret exposed," I began dramatically, smiling in amusement at Damon. "I'm immune to becoming intoxicated."

"Not possible. Even I get drunk," he denied.

(Guess that answers the question of whether or not vampires can get drunk. Now I needed to find out how long it takes for them to become drunk.)

"Like your tolerance is oh so high," I snorted in mock disbelief.

"It is that high and you certainly couldn't beat it." Ignorant vampire brat.

"It's true." I shrugged, "Once, I drank 5 bottles of whiskey. Didn't get drunk or have a hangover and I'm still alive and kicking."

"Impressive Winnie," Damon said.

I nodded. Wait… "Did you just call me Winnie, Damey?"

"Give me a while and I'll come up with a better nickname for you," Damon mocked me.

"I actually like the nickname," I replied, purposefully bumping his shoulder with mine. (Ignoring the intense electricity coming from the contact sight. It didn't mean anything. I didn't like him like that.) Damon shot me a genuine grin.

Satisfied, I turned my head forward to look at the rising sun, pretending not to notice that Damon was gazing at me with an unreadable look. Rising sun… Wait what? What time was it? "Bloody crumpets!" I jumped up, startling Damon in the process. I was about to start running when I remembered him, temporarily forgotten in my panic. "I'm sorry, school starts in 45 minutes. I've got to get home and to school. Nice meeting you Damon. I'm holding you to your promise of bourbon repayment."

He smiled, "See you later Gwen." I flashed him a smile and rushed away, not going full speed until I was certain that Damon wouldn't hear or see.

That reminded me: I was going to get his leather jacket.

I'd get it. No matter the cost. Damon will give me the bloody jacket!

* * *

_Wait. Did Gwen just say_ bloody crumpets_? _Damon thought, it just coming to him. He shook his head. Gwen was weird. And intriguing. Fun.

He liked her.

Damon genuinely liked Gwen and he wasn't even sure why. This wasn't like his usual attraction to women; it was more intense, more real. The emotion was something he hadn't felt for 164 years when he'd met Katherine. Damon couldn't even compare the feelings he had for Katherine to how he was attracted to Gwen. Already, it seemed that whatever attraction this was for Gwen was more intense than it had been with Katherine. It was absurd, he knew, for they had just met, but the feeling was there none the less. Gwen was going to become an obstacle in his plan- what he'd come here to do- and now he found himself doubting his plan.

Gwen had spoken of living in the past and that stuck with him, even though it had only happened moments ago. Damon felt as though that was exactly what he was doing. Living in the past. He needed to move on. But he'd vowed to rescue Katherine from the tomb. He couldn't turn back on that.

But wasn't this obsession living in the past?

Ugh. Stupid Gwen and her stupid words.

She'd just been there in the woods, sitting against the tree. Damon couldn't be sure of how long she'd sat there. The only thing that had given her away was her barely hearable breathing and light heartbeat. Everything about her radiated quietness, like there was wall around her that deafened sound, making her nearly invisible. Gwen herself, however, was wild, a free-spirit like himself. Upon seeing her and the smirk on her beautiful face, he couldn't help but have a nagging feeling that she'd _heard _his footfalls, felt his presence, his coming. It was as if she'd sat down against the tree trunk to wait for his arrival.

That was absurd. She was just a human. Right?

She'd punched him with so much hidden strength that he'd actually felt the hit. Then there was her blood. It smelled way too good- too sweet- to just be human blood. It took Damon nearly everything to resist giving in to the basic urge to feed.

He'd originally planned to feed on her, but decided against it seconds later. She was gorgeous and a mystery. An enigma wrapped in an enigma. He couldn't kill the mystery. He had to solve it first. Not killing her had nothing to do with the fact that he sort of liked her (though what he'd thought clearly disproved this statement). Damon was just messing with her indefinitely. Plus, he got the feeling that she'd willingly help him torture Stefan.

Damon shook his head, his gaze landing on the empty bourbon bottle that she'd left in her rush to get home. Gwen drank and she drank the heavier stuff. As Damon had witnessed, she didn't get intoxicated. A part of him still didn't believe that was true, but he'd seen her drink nearly a whole bottle of bourbon and her words didn't even slur. Even he, as a vampire, became drunk after consuming large amounts of alcohol. By then, a human would've been knocked out cold. Or dead from alcohol poisoning. Gwen hadn't been.

Perhaps it was proof that she wasn't human… Like her blood. And, now that he remembered, the way she'd resisted his compulsion. The first thought had been vervain, but she wasn't wearing any jewelry and he couldn't smell it on her. Besides, she most likely didn't know about vampires.

Damon didn't know what she was, but he was certain that he wanted to see Gwen again and get to know her. That was the reason that she would end up finding a slip of paper with his phone number on it in her jacket pocket.

_Maybe next time I see her, I'll give her my leather jacket for a while. Since she wants it so badly. It'll give me an excuse to see her again when I have to retrieve it. Maybe even feed a little to torture Stefan. _Damon thought as he sped off in search of breakfast.

He couldn't write this off as pure curiosity no matter how hard he tried. He'd have to step up his arrogant, jack-arse bull to keep her away. That was the way he kept himself from getting hurt.

Gwen was just going to be the death of him.

* * *

I wasn't late for the first day of school. In fact, I arrived there at the exact moment that a new student was walking towards the Mystic Falls High front steps. We fell into step beside each other and I had to introduce myself because I'm nice like that.

We covered that I was at least a decent person.

"You are new here."

The male with half spiked hair and leaf green eyes looked at me, as if noticing me for the first time. He had a similar facial structure to someone. He was the brother of someone I knew.

It would come to me.

Other than that, he looked brooding, and his presence was depressing in general. "Um yeah," he answered nervously.

"I'm Gwen," I said, holding my hand out for him to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Gwen. I'm Stefan Salvatore." Damon's brother. No wonder he looked familiar. So he was a vampire too. He took my hand firmly in his. I _zoned _out.

_Emotionless, Stefan carelessly threw another body aside. Only hours ago, he'd killed his own father- Giuseppe Salvatore. The bloodlust had been overwhelming. Then the guilt had overwhelmed him and he'd shut his emotions off, feeding from everyone at once, not bothering to control the bloodlust, just gorging it, becoming the Ripper. _

_ He'd already killed 2 dozen people. _

_ Also, he managed to lose his brother for eternity by betraying him and Katherine and forcing him to feed. _

_ He just didn't care anymore and wouldn't for a long time. _

I jumped back into the future, staring Stefan in the face. Next to no time had passed while I had the vision. With that information, I deduced that Stefan and Damon weren't on good terms. That was nicely putting it. Damon was the antagonist of Stefan's life. (I should've guessed that they both loved the same person- whoever Katherine was. She turned both of them.)

Information overload much?

The irony of who was enjoying (sort of enjoying. Damon was kind of miserable at the moment.) the vampire life now.

"Nice to meet you Stefan," I said, not missing a beat. I decided to play it safe, "What brings you to Mystic Falls?" Playing safe sometimes meant playing stupid. It also meant pretending to fancy someone that you didn't like. I didn't fancy _Steffy _at all. He just permanently rubbed off the wrong way on me.

"I needed a change and this seemed like a good place to start," Stefan said.

There was only a slight hesitation in his voice that most wouldn't pick up, but other than that, it was a good cover. Annoyance pricked at me. This loser.

"Got any siblings?" I asked casually. (I so wasn't telling him that I met Damon.)

"One," he replied, his tone tight. (Touchy subject. I was right!) It was surprising that he even told me the truth.

Should I back of and say "oh", or tick him off? The more fun option… but I really should play it safe for now.

"Oh," I backed off. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, pretending to feel awkward.

In the hoodie pocket, my hand curled around a slip of paper. I frowned and pulled it out, staring at the foreign numbers. _Damon._ "Hey, I'll catch up with you later Stefan. I've got a call to make."

Stefan nodded, making no comment, and continued into the school. I waited until I was sure he was gone, out of vampire hearing range, and headed towards the trees, away from people. I caught Elena giving me a quizzical stare. My look back was as innocent as they come. No sneer, no finger flip off, nothing.

Pulling out my phone, I tapped the numbers in and pressed call. Damon picked up after the first ring. (Looks like someone is eager to speak to me.)

_"Hello,"_ Damon said, his voice silky.

"What an unexpected surprise. Hi Damey!" I shouted happily.

_"Winnie!"_ he pretended to be surprised, _"How did you get my number?" _Pause._ "Are you stalking me?" _

I scoffed, "I just happened to find a slip of paper in my pocket that _happened _to have your number on it. If anything, I think you're obsessed with me." I was so knowledgeable.

_"Why would I be-," _

I cut him off, "I met your brother a minute ago. He's so… brooding- and that's the polite description. You should really teach him lessons for having fun. _Be_ the sensei."

_"There's no way to teach Saint Stefan fun. It's not in his vocabulary,"_ Damon breezily replied.

"Yeah, I figured. You should definitely fix that brotherly relationship though. So suffocating. I could feel the tension in the air and you weren't even present." There I was, butting into other people's business.

Damon ignored most of this, but my message sunk in. _"You didn't mention that you knew me, did you?" _

"No, do I look stupid to you? I just casually asked if he had a brother. He just barely told me the truth. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that _Steffy_ wouldn't be very pleased to find out his big bro is home." Please, I knew that hands down. Stefan wouldn't be happy at all.

Good.

_"How does a stranger know more about my life than I do about hers?" _Damon muttered, not intended for me to hear.

Against my better judgment, knowing it would hint to him that something about me was off, I commented, "Because I'm intelligent."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched my younger 'brother' enter the school's stoner den. If Elena found out he was stoned on the first day of school, he'd never hear the end of it. She didn't understand. Elena didn't even know that he was getting better. She certainly didn't comprehend that her constant nagging wasn't making him any better. Jeremy needed someone to talk to and listen and not judge. I filled those shoes. We're close like that.

"Damon? I've got to go. School's starting soon." Damon groaned. I smirked. "Don't miss me too much!"

I hung up before he could reply and headed to the stoner den.

Before I could forget, I added Damon to my caller list. Under Fangs. Another brilliant nickname I could not yet utilize. Now all he needed was a picture!

_Buzz. _ I pulled my phone out. A text from Damon.

_You hung up on me. Rude._

I quickly texted back. _Told you you're obsessed with me._

I could hear Jeremy from hear. (Supernatural hearing, remember?)

_"Don't take more than two in a six-hour window." _ Giving Vicki more drugs. As if that girl wasn't already messed up. She had done something unforgivable to me and I still couldn't bring myself to hate her. I just really, really, _really _disliked her. I put up with her, only because she (somehow) makes Jeremy feel better. (It was no secret to me that Vicki and Jeremy had repeatedly slept together over the summer. He's only 15! Almost 16. Either way: gross.)

Tyler walked up to them, possessively holding Vicki to him, _"Hey, Vicki. I knew I'd find you here with the crack heads."_

_ "Hey," _Vicki replied, heeding no attention to Jeremy's disgust. And mine. I didn't understand why Vicki threw herself at people like Tyler. She wasn't even a good influence for Jeremy. Put up with her.

Tyler glanced over at Jeremy. That's when I started walking over. _"Hey, Pete Wentz called. He wants his nail polish back." _

_ "Pete Wentz, huh? How old school T.R.L of you," _Jeremy retaliated. _"Carson Daly fan?" _

I was within normal hearing range. "Oh, Ty, be nice. That's Elena's little brother," Vicki pleaded.

I spoke up, spooking all of them, "Yeah, and you know who else's little brother he is? Mine."

Tyler pretended not to be freaked, "I know who he is. I'll still kick his arse." I scared Tyler Lockwood. We didn't like each other. It probably had to do with what happened nearly 10 years ago.

I turned my cold stare to him, "It's no secret I don't like you, Tyler. If you think you can beat up Jeremy, you're wrong. Don't give me another to hospitalize you. You know that I will." Finished with him, I happily focused on Jeremy, all threats gone from my eyes, "I just came to warn you. Don't let Elena catch you. You're going to get an earful if she does find out you're toasted on the first day of school." (Jeremy was the only one I could call brother and mean it. I had sisterly love for him. As far as I was capable of, at least.)

Jeremy nodded, still glaring at Tyler. I turned away, ready to head inside, but then Tyler said, "What is she? Your watchdog?"

I whirled around. His shoulder was closest to me. That's what I punched extremely hard. Unfortunately, I didn't punch him hard enough to break his shoulder. (I calculated the punch to be hard enough to bruise badly, but just barely not break. In other words, he would be in loads of pain for a while.)

Jeremy was struggling to contain his grin and I smirked, looking at Vicki and Tyler innocently. "I had a muscle spasm. _Jerk._" With Tyler clutching his shoulder and glaring at me while Vicki asked him if he was okay (stupid question), I headed inside, satisfied with my work here. "See you later Jer," I called over my shoulder, purposely ignoring Vicki's ever-annoying presence.

"Bye Gwen!" Jeremy shouted back.

Inside, I came across Bonnie and Elena staring at new guy. AKA Stefan. "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays guitar," Bonnie suggested.

What in the world was she talking about?

Elena laughed, "You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when are you psychic?" I took on suspicious, "Are you a witch? Because it would be great if you could get me some food. Like, just make it appear in front of me. Some delicious pancakes and plenty of blackberries… Mhmm."

Elena smiled with amusement. Bonnie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Grams says I'm a witch. Personally, I don't believe her."

_Witches often get dragged into vampire affairs. Especially Bennet witches. Emily Bennet was Katherine's hand maiden and a witch. She made a deal with Damon._

A deal with Damon.

That was weird. It was like an information upload. (That happening was pretty recent.) At least now I knew that Bonnie _is _a witch and it's not some joke. Not that she believed. (I was wondering why my mind was choosing now to suddenly have more visions now. It made me wonder about what else would happen. Would I get more powers? Maybe I could conjure up sugar! Lord knows I don't get enough of sugar. That was basically my diet. I was a ball of energy living off of sugar!)

"I could believe it," I said casually. "_If_ you did awesome things for me." I was rocking back and forth on the heels of feet, occasionally jumping.

"Of course," Elena chuckled. "Oh god, she's doing her sugar dance."

"Something bad is brewing in that evil brain," Bonnie added in a hilarious spooky tone. We laughed.

Fate chose that moment to betray Jeremy. Some stoned male whisper-shouted, "Jeremy! Good batch, man." I cringed as Elena turned to Bonnie.

"I'll be right back," she said and Bonnie understood.

"Last stop to Crazy Ville. All passengers off now. Next stop Loony Town. Location: Men's Bathroom. For those wanting to keep their sanity, stay standing. I repeat, stay standing," I announced. At least Bonnie laughed at my antics.

"You should really go in there to keep both sides neutral," Bonnie suggested. I was listening to them talking.

_"Great. It's the first day of school and you're stoned," Elena said. _This was after she slammed him into a sink.

"Are you kidding?" I asked her, "It's going to be a warzone in there! Neutrality doesn't exist!"

_"No, I'm not," _Jeremy denied. Idiot. I warned him.

Here comes the search. _"Where is it? Is it on you?" _she questioned.

"You and I both know that you're going to end up going in there," Bonnie wisely replied.

_"Stop, all right?" _Jeremy half screamed. _"You need to chill yourself." _

I sighed in defeat, "Right you are Bon. Catch up with you later?"

She nodded, "Have fun." Bonnie turned to stare at Stefan's back again. "Please be hot."

I snorted softly, "Bonnie, his name is Stefan." Knowing she heard me, I trudged into the battle field.

_"Chill myself? What is that, stoner talk? Dude, you are so cool," _Elena scoffed.

_"Look, stop! I don't have anything on me! Are you crazy?" _

I swung the men's bathroom door open.

Here goes nothing.

"Alright, I think that's enough. _Elena,_" I warned. "Let's just get to class."

Elena swung on me, "Stop enabling him Gwen! You're letting him tear his life apart!"

Enabling? Since when did I enable him? I'd made it clear that I didn't approve of his drug habit, but I didn't judge him or nag him about it. When he wanted to talk about, I was there for him. To listen. Not to judge him and push him farther down. _I _was helping him get better!

Calm down, calm down. I'm supposed to defuse the situation. (Around this moment, I was proved right about how I thought I was horrible, egging on the negative thoughts I had. I started withdrawing from Elena at this time.)

I was ready to retort, but Elena had already turned back to her brother, "Jeremy, you haven't seen crazy! I gave you a summer pass, but I am _done _watching you destroy yourself! No, you know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. But just know that I am going to be there to ruin your buzz every time, you got it?"

"Elena! That's enough!" I shouted. "You think screaming at him is going to make it better? Not even listening to him? How is that supposed to help Jer get over this?"

Jeremy huffed, "I don't need this."

Before he left, I grabbed his arm, "I love you." Some of the hardness in his eyes disappeared and he gave a slight nod before leaving. At least that helped a little.

Elena glared at me. "How are you helping him? Enabling doesn't help," she hissed vehemently.

Trying hard to keep my voice level, I voiced my opinion, "I am _not _enabling. _I'm _actually helping. I'm listening to him, not judging him and his drug habit. If you could get past your selfish opinion that he's a stoner that will never get better, you would realize that he hasn't been using drugs as often. Sorry he's not revolving perfectly in your world, since everything seems to center around you." So the last part came out as a vicious hiss, intended to hurt.

Elena's jaw dropped at my insult. Once more, I sighed. Then left.

* * *

Dooooo weeeee doooo

* * *

After the morning bathroom incident, I somehow managed to struggle through the school day, ending up in Mr. Tanner's 7th period history class with Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Caroline, and Stefan.

Wonderful Mr. Tanner. (I'm lying! He's horrible to everyone- especially me. I've never done anything to him. Okay, so that was a lie.)

The bell rang. "Alright class, settle down."

"Charming as ever, Mr. Tanner!" I called. I was asking for trouble.

"Such a pleasure to have you in my class for another year Gwen," Mr. Tanner drily replied.

"Bonnie!" she looked over at me. "I told you he loved me. We're on a first name basis!" A majority of the class either laughed or grinned.

"Don't make me give you detention on the first day of school," he warned.

"I'm sorry, but I can't hold you to that empty threat. Everyone knows that you won't give me another detention after that last accident," I articulated smugly, a smirk on my face. Stefan tossed me a strange glance. I shrugged innocently. I wanted to flip him off.

Mr. Tanner groaned, "Please be quiet and stay that way for the rest of the lesson."

I saluted dutifully, "Ay, captain."

Class went on. Slowly. Boring. Filled with things I already knew. I just had to continue my commentary.

Mr. Tanner's voice droned, "Once our home state of Virginia joined the confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state. People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep-south. Then Virginia divided in 1863 with the northwest region joining the union." And so on and so on.

_Buzz. _Stealthily, I pulled my phone out.

_Ignoring people is rude. _Damon.

My lips tugged upwards. Did Damey really have nothing better to do? _This is something I would never say, but: School is more important than you. _

His reply came in a matter of seconds. I bet he was using his vampire speed. _I'm extremely offended. How could you say something like that?_

_ It's one of the most offensive insults that I am capable of. _(Okay, so that definitely wasn't true.)

_ How's school? _

_ I know you're rolling your eyes. Don't even mention school. Can you come kill my teachers? _I sent the message, then realized… _Wait, don't take that seriously. _

Just pretend that I'm not asking a murderer to kill Mr. Tanner.

_Buzz. _I rapidly took to my phone. _I'll kill anyone for you. I'm a free-lancer. Only because it's really fun._

For some reason, my heart fluttered at this statement. Stupid attraction to Damon. He was probably joking. _You're joking right? _Send. But he did find killing fun.

_Winnie, I'm as serious as you are about wanting my jacket. _

I wanted his jacket really bad. That meant he was serious. I want his jacket. _Damey don't torture me with your leather jacket! Please give it to me! You can wear it on the weekends, I promise! _That was a lie. He would only get to see it. I would never take it off.

I lied too much.

_Sorry, but it's not up for sale. _

_ Who said anything about paying for it? I plan to get you to give it to me and if you don't, I'll steal it. _

_ You can't steal it. Not from me. _

Challenge accepted. _I'm fairly certain that I won't have to. You'll give it to me. _

_ And why do you think that?_

The smirk was taking over my face. _'Cuz you're obsessed with me. Why are you so obsessed with me?_

_ I'm not obsessed with you. I'm leaving. Just to prove it. I know you can't live without me. Have fun trying. _Not obsessed my rear. Damon's reply came after a second. He is so obsessed with me.

_Oh bite me. Damey, you can't live without me. And you can't leave if I already left. Bye. _I'm so childish.

I just realized how provocative 'bite me' was to a vampire. Why?

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. _Damon's fixated on me. I giggled a little. I giggled.

The world was ending.

"Something funny back there?" Mr. Tanner called me out, burning holes into my head.

I leveled my gaze with his. "Just your face." I didn't have any better remarks. Elena shot me _the look._

As if that did anything.

The bell rang and I jumped over a couple of desks.

"Lucky, Mr. Tanner, you got saved by the bell!" I shouted as I ran. My phone buzzed two more times in my pocket.

* * *

Damon wasn't completely sure why he was already infatuated with Gwen. She was no one. Just a human. Except she wasn't human. He knew that. He was just interested with her for that reason. Nothing to it. That was the only reason.

He didn't believe himself.

If he were just interested in her nonhuman existence, he wouldn't be casually texting her, teasing her, telling her he'd kill for her. That wasn't how Damon Salvatore rolled. Maybe it was. When he genuinely liked someone- something he hadn't done since Katherine.

_It wasn't like this with Katherine, _his mind nagged.

_What do I know? I only met her a few hours ago, _he fought back. His fascination with Gwen was infinitely multiplied compared to his fancy- as Gwen liked to put it- for Katherine.

Here he was, mulling over Gwen when he should be focused on tormenting Stefan and getting Katherine out of the tomb- his master plan. He wasn't expecting this obstacle. Obstacles, yes, but not in the form of an attraction to a girl. Not that girl was the correct word to describe Gwen.

_This could _not _be happening to him._

Damon knocked back another shot of whiskey, reminding him that he owed Gwen a bottle of bourbon. After all, he did give Gwen his word and an excuse to see her again. Seeing her again had nothing to do with his promise.

Couldn't he think of something productive for once? Like what he needed to do next in order to get Katherine out of the tomb? Or how he would torture Stefan?

Stefan… Well Stefan will have his hands full with the 'animal' attacks.

_Maybe Gwen could help me torture Stefan, _Damon thought idly. _I can't even go a minute without thinking of her, _he thought miserably. (Note that the constant thinking wasn't love. It was curiosity and- regrettably- fascination.

Another shot down his throat.

Hopeless. He was utterly hopeless.

_Buzz. _Frowning, Damon pulled his phone out. A text from Winnie. Gwen. A text from Gwen, he corrected himself.

_JACKET? THE LEATHER JACKET ON YOUR BACK? YOU'RE NOT TEASING ME? GIVE IT TO ME! I WANT THAT BLOODY JACKET DAMON. SO HELP ME, IF YOU'RE TEASING ME, I WILL STAKE YOU IN THE FACE. _

That's right. She was ignoring him so he'd sent a text saying that he'd give her his leather jacket. Gwen really liked his jacket.

Stake him in the face? With wood? Did she know something?

Reason all over again to be suspicious of her.

_Buzz. _

_ I'LL STAKE YOU IN THE FACE WHILE LAUGHING MANIACALLY YOU PRAT. _

_I knew that would get you! _Damon replied quickly. Why did he always have to reply so fast? It was making it seem like he liked talking to her. No wonder Gwen kept claiming he was obsessed with her. It was only because she was fun and would be great to toy with.

He was a vampire with issues. Great. Maybe he was obsessive.

Damon really needed to do something to get his mind off of the girl he had met only hours ago.

Maybe he'd succeed in not thinking about her for at least a minute.


End file.
